Join me as we take a look at every NASCAR Cup Rookie of the Year class from 1972 (the start of the modern era) through 2021, going from the worst to the first in terms of overall careers of each year’s rookie class.
1996
Johnny Benson's sophomore-year car
Winner: Johnny Benson Jr. (Bahari). Runners Up: none. Aborted Attempts: Randy MacDonald, Stacy Compton
How their careers turned out: Johnny Benson had a solid Cup career, posting a single win and making glasses cool (well, relatively speaking). That being said, Johnny’s single win is probably what keeps this dog of a class from being at the bottom of the list.
“Fun” “Fact” about the winner: How hot was Nascar? In 2001, Valvoline so wanted to secure its place in the sport that they bought an ownership stake in Benson’s ride (the “V” in “MBV”). Yeah!
Ranking: #41 out of 50
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